Resort exec made clean move upward

Barbara Zimonja's ascent from cleaning resort condominiums to serving as president and chief executive officer of Park City-based Premier Resorts International is an exhilarating and surprising journey, fitting for someone in the travel industry.

These days, Premier Resorts is one of the top providers of luxury condominiums in the travel industry, with more than 7,000 rooms at 57 properties in such hot spots as Vail, Myrtle Beach, Mexico and, of course, Park City.

It was in Utah's own luxury ski community that Zimonja started a business cleaning resort condominium properties. It wasn't long, however, before she decided she could do a better job managing those properties than their owners. Soon after, Zimonja bought a controlling interest in Deer Valley Lodging.

Since then, Zimonja has weathered an acquisition in which she continued to lead the company, the economic downturn following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a 2004 opportunity to buy back Premier Resorts from its parent company.

To this day, Zimonja insists that her staff of more than 1,000 be as "guest-obsessed" as she was when she personally cleaned and maintained her company's condominiums.

She and her business partner, Bradley Goulding, plan to maintain a steady rate of growth based on choosing new, high-quality properties in desirable destinations, then training their staff using the company's own, humor-infused Spirit of Service program as well as mentoring programs in which every worker participates.